2016 IEEE UAE Students Day
Common Design Project (CDP) Competition
Visible-Light Communication Transceiver Design for Entertainment Systems
in Indoor Envirouments
General:
1. Two teams from each institution can participate in the Common Design Project (CDP)
competition.
2. Each team shall comprise a maximum of 5 IEEE student members.
3. Project cost must not exceed AED 3000.
Project Description:
The ever-increasing demand for high-quality multimedia services, such as high-definition TVs, video
conferencing and high-speed internet access, has led to the development of new wireless
technologies to meet these demands, among which visible light communications.
Capitalizing on the recent advances in the development of LED technology, VLC, which is a recent
communication technology targeting mainly indoor applications, offers an energy-efficient and safe
alternative to radio frequency (RF) transmission. More importantly, VLC is considered as one of the
most recent attractive technologies in places where electromagnetic interference (EMI) is of
concern, e.g., hospitals and airlines. As a result, visible light communication (VLC) can be seen as a
strong candidate for high data multimedia-based indoor applications, with the advantage of
facilitating both high data rate transmission along with proper illumination.
The aim of this project is to use VLC to develop a high quality portable entertainment (multimedia)
system for indoor environments. To this end, real-time video and pulse-position modulated audio
signals are transmitted by a white LED and received by a photodiode over free space. The
developed system should satisfy the requirements imposed by the illumination functionality.
According to IEEE Standard 802.15.7, VLC wireless networks are required to support light
dimming, allowing the control of the perceived light brightness according to the users’ preference.
Integrating efficient dimming techniques into VLC systems is vital for energy savings as well as for
aesthetic and comfort purposes, rendering a wide implementation of VLC systems more rational. In
general, brightness control can be achieved by continuous current reduction (CCR), where dimming
control is realized by changing the forward current of the LED.
Requirements:
1. Survey and understand the main components of a VLC system.
2. Design of an audio transmitter and receiver circuit.
3. Design of a video transceiver circuit.
4. Design of a complete VLC-based entertainment system with dimming control. This may include
the VLC transceiver design along with the integration of video and audio signals.
5. Propose a prototype for a VLC-based real-time multimedia system for indoor applications using
inexpensive commercially available components.
Project Evaluation and Scoring:
The IEEE UAE Students Day Steering Committee will select a panel of judges to evaluate each
project based on the following criteria:
1. The completion of the project, the innovation, and the efficiency of the design in terms of
cost, size and quality.
2. The quality of the presentation and the ability to answer the judges’ questions adequately.
3. Display of an A1 size poster describing the design, implementation and operation of the
complete VLC audio systems.
The scoring is in accordance with the criteria listed in the following table
No. Evaluation Criteria
Score (%)
1
Device size and cost (stand alone versus 20
depends on other systems)
2
Transmission distance (5 marks per meter 30
maximum 6-meter)
3
Audio & video quality (i.e., does the 20
transceiver provide CD quality audio?)
5
Dimming capability and control
10
6
Poster describing the design, construction,
and operation. Ability to answer questions
10
7
Extra feature and innovation beyond
requirements
10